The Watcher
by Korie1
Summary: Piper Mackenzie is a Waste-Lock Guardian, someone assigned to a waste-lock to ensure they're doing what they're supposed to. Well, her waste-lock seems to have gone awry (guess who!!) and now she must set things right.
1. Prologue

(Author Note: Whee!  I dun wrote me a fan fic.   I promised myself that I wouldn't do this, having wandered into other types of fan fiction and becoming very dissatisfied with myself for it.   I told myself I wasn't going to do it, but then this idea wandered along.  It's kind of confusing, and I've tried to make it fit with the comic series, but just please bear with me as the story goes along.  Everything will make sense in the end.  Which hopefully I don't get bored with the story and quit before then.  Ha ha!  Wouldn't that suck!  Anyway, legal stuffs, Johnny belongs to creator of all things squishy, Jhonen Vasquez.  Piper, and any other characters that you do not recognize from the comic books or what not, belong to creator of all things  not-so-squishy , me!  So read!  And review!) 

Do you know what it's like?  Standing at the edge of a cliff, staring at the bottomless abyss below and just _knowing_ that the next step you take will be your last? 

                That was sort of what it was like for Piper Mackenzie, as she sat on a bench just a few houses away from his.  She watched as he slammed the front door behind him … a large pillowcase thrown over his shoulder and that little fat man under his arm.  It was that image in front of her that spelled out so clearly what she had been trying to convince herself wasn't true.

                She had failed. 

                She'd failed him, failed herself, failed The Guardianship, but worse of all .. she failed Mischa.  The one who'd saved her very life, while avenging her mother's death, and took her in and raised her like her own child.  Despite walking through the front door of their quite home covered head to tow in someone else's blood, Mischa was the closest thing Piper had to a normal mother.   She did everything for Piper, trying her best to provide a normal life for the girl, and Piper had always looked up to her and respected her as a mother and as a savior.  Hell, she was the very reason Piper wanted so eagerly to join the Guardianship.  Piper wanted to look after someone, the way Sasha looked after Mischa.  A waste-lock guardian. 

                But Piper was in no way like Sasha.  Sasha looked after Mischa, kept her from getting caught, made sure Mischa was always aware of the mission at hand.  Sasha had completed her task, all the way until Mischa's unfortunate illness and eventual death.  Not Piper.  Something had gone wrong.  From the very beginning, she'd lost control of him.  He killed those who didn't even deserve it, straying from the path that was cleared for him by the waste-locks years before his time.  Something within the house had gotten control first, and _they _were the ones who were in control.  All Piper could do was stand back, and watch pitifully as he defiled the waste-lock name.  All she could do was a half-assed version of the job that was written for her in those before her.  She kept him out of trouble, all right.  Made sure he was never caught.  While he ranted and raved, killing senselessly … she stayed behind and cleaned up his little messes, messes that weren't supposed to be made.   All because she had lost control from the very start. 

                The Guardianship was quick to take the blame for what was happening.  After all, Piper was only fifteen when Mischa died.  They hadn't planned on Mischa dying on them so quickly, and by the time she did Piper had already been assigned to him, and he had already been chosen as the replacement.  It was too late for a new waste-lock, and too late to train a new guardian for him … so despite being three years underage, they sent her in anyway.  That, they said, was their mistake. 

                "We should have been more aware of Mischa's condition, and that she could've passed on sooner than she was supposed to." They had said, as Piper stood with her head hung low in front of the Elders. "We shouldn't have assigned you so quickly, and we are not ones to deny when we have done something wrong."

                Ha.  A cruel sort of smile came to her face, when she thought about that.  Their fault.  It was their fault that _she _had come to The Elders, on her knees practically, _begging_ to become a guardian.  She wanted so badly to protect the kind that had saved her and raised her.   She refused to take "No" for an answer the day she signed up for a guardianship, which was the same day she turned fourteen.  Sasha had told her she started training at that age, and of course, the Elders allowed Piper to start.  

                They enrolled her in a "class", where the closest person to her age was just turning eighteen.  That one person was the only friend she'd make in the class.  The rest ridiculed her, for both her young age and her roguish "fuck the rules" attitude.  They taunted her, telling her she'd be a failure.  She was particularly a favorite target of a young man named Rodie, who was eighteen when his training started.   He thought the fact that he was already at legal age to start a guardianship that made him more superior to her.  

                "They wouldn't even let him in until he turned 18." Her only friend in the group, Terra, had whispered to her on the first day of training. "At least they saw enough talent in you to let you start early." 

                                Yeah, why would they allow her in at a young age if they didn't believe she could do it?  She could do it! 

                She laughed bitterly, as the thought crossed with the image in front of her.  Now he was slamming the trunk of that safety hazard he called a car.  She had done so well in her training that they assigned her early, when Mischa started to get sick.  They thought Mischa would stay alive long enough for Piper to turn eighteen and complete her training.  They were wrong.   And like they had said so many times before … it was just too late. 

                He took one last inhale of the air, and climbed into the driver's side.  After a few minutes hesitation, the small car roared to life and he backed out of the driveway.  Narrowly missing a small Chihuahua that chose the exact moment to wander onto road, he sped out of sight.  Not once did he look back, so he didn't notice her watching him as his gray vehicle whizzed past her. 

                "Good-bye, Nny." She whispered, to the vacant air in front of her. "I'm sorry." 

                Soon after the teardrops started rolling, Piper Mackenzie started toward home.  Somehow, some way … she'd make things right.  Or die trying.  She'd make things right again.

                Piper was so busy, wallowing in her own self-pity, that she failed to recognize the beat up black car that replaced the gray one.  Nor did she notice, the young woman that crawled out, stretching her arms skyward … with and evil sort of smile on her face.

                "Home sweet home." Her thick, British accented voice whispered to the property in front of her. 


	2. Chapter 1

(Author Note:  Yay!  Another chapter!  Fear not boys and girls, for this chapter unlike the one preceeding it, it full off Nny-goodness!  I don't think I got him as in character as I would've liked to, but oh well.  There's always time to improve apon that.  Again, Johnny, Reverend Meat, Squee, and Squee's mom doth not belongeth to me … they belong to Jhonen Vasquez.  However, everyone else belongs to me. Okay?  Read and Review.  Pweese? I'll give you a taco!)

One Year Later

                He didn't think he'd be saying it, but it felt good to be back home.  Yes, as much as Johnny C. loathed that piece of shit he resided in; he couldn't help but admit that he'd missed it while he was gone, purging himself of all emotion and feeling.  The journey had, he hoped, been a success and he couldn't wait to get back to something "normal" again.  He hated not living in the same place, deterring from his usual routine.  Not to mention that a Brainfreezy machine was a dreadfully long walk from the place he'd taken residence for the past year.  

                "Are we theeeere, yet?" Johnny cringed, as the little fat man sitting in the passenger side asked him the same question he'd been asking for three hours straight. 

                "I already told you, _almost_!" Nny replied rather testily, he didn't enjoy being asked the same thing continuously for a long period of time.  In fact, he was starting to wonder why he'd brought the little Bub's Burger Boy with him at all. The little meaty thing had been nothing but a pain in his side since the night they left, but Nny couldn't relish the thought of traveling completely alone … and Meat was rather persistent in his tagging along. Why, Nny never knew, but he gave in an allowed the little statue to tag along. 

                As he rounded the corner that led to his street, Johnny couldn't help but think of his old home.  How lovely it would be to fill his basement with loathsome, screaming people again.  The devices would probably need a bit of tending to, after a full year of no use and not being taken care of.  If there was anything he hated more than the assholes he killed, it was when his devices and his tools were showing any signs of unkemptness.  He'd probably have to devote most of his time to getting things back in order, so the assholes would have at least one or two extra days to live.

                Johnny had just started thinking of new ways to annihilate them all when he noticed his driveway wasn't empty.  Parked halfway in the grass was an old black car.   His teeth clenched at the thought of someone, in his absence, taking the opportunity to use his driveway as their own personal parking space.  Or worse, some homeless slob using his vacant house as a haven of drugs and booze and who knew what else! Fury filled his veins, as the whit hot liquid pumped along with his blood.  If someone was living there, sleeping under his roof, they were about to get a very rude awakening. 

                He pulled his small vehicle effortlessly next to the unfamiliar one, narrowly missing Squee's mom's flowers.   He wouldn't have minded if he had run over them.  Maybe that would have taught her to pay more attention to her son than to worthless things springing out of the ground.  

                "Who do you s'pose that is?" Reverend Meat asked, as Nny reached under the seat and extracted a rather long, pointy knife. 

                "Whoever it is … they'll soon wish they were never born." Nny vowed, opening the door.  He left Meat in the car, knowing that his guard wasn't all that good with a little burger boy tucked under his arm.  When Meat started to whine about being left alone in the car, Nny threatened to give him to the Bull Terrier down the street as a chew toy.  The burger boy fell silent, finding the quite car much better than the jaws of a rabid dog. 

                As cat-like as possible, Johnny crept up the steps leading to the front door of number 777.  He was a bit shocked to find that the front door was unlocked.  Either the new resident was very careless or very stupid, neither of which appeased Nny at the moment.  The room looked the exact same as he'd left it.   The couch was still sitting in the same place, with the rabbit-eared TV set a few feet in front of it.  An eerily similar picture of what it looked like before he left.  He then remembered the knife was in his hand, and why it was there. After a brief curse to himself for not being prepared, he raised the knife so that it was parallel with his ear.  He continued to creep through the kitchen (where again, everything was untouched) and to a spare room where the door to the basement was.  A soft, amber-like light spilt itself in front of the wide open door, which could only mean that the perpetrator was down in the basement. 

                With his knife still held high, he slowly descended the staircase.  His mind was greeted with the memories of people's dying screams, and pleads for mercy and forgiveness.  All that noise, ringing in his head.  Oh, how he wanted to just shut it off like some kind of facet.  Shut off the noise that grew louder and louder with each step he took. 

                It was then, he realized, that the screams weren't figments of his overactive imagination.  No, there were _real_ screams coming from the levels below the basement!  But how?  There wasn't a single person alive when he left, and surely if he'd forgotten someone, they would have starved to death.  

                When he stepped onto the cold floor of the basement, he couldn't help but notice all the blood splashed about.  It was f_resh_ blood, from freshly opened wounds.  His face contorted into a look of puzzlement, as he tiptoed across the floor; being extra careful not to step in any of it.  

                As he continued farther and father downward, the screams and wails of mercy were getting louder and louder, which could only mean he was getting closer to them.  

                "What … the …" He rasped, at the sight when he finally reached the corner of one level.

                Hundreds of people, were bound to the walls and ceiling.  The ones of the ceiling were hanging upside down, just as he had placed them there a year ago. 

                "No." He thought to himself, clenching his eyes shut, allowing his knife to slip through his fingers so he could cover his ears. "This is some sort of nightmare.  Brought on by wretched sleep."

                But when his eyes opened, they were still there.  Most of the noise had stopped, and some seemed to think that someone had come to rescue them. 

                "Look!  Someone's here!" A woman rejoiced.  

                "Oh, please help us down!" Another, younger woman pleaded. "Some crazy person hung us all here.  Did she get you, too?  Did you escape?"

                "She? What are you talking abou-" Nny started to ask, but was cut short when some unseen force knocked him down to the floor.  Shit!  How could he have let his weapon slip to the ground!  He saw it's glittering blade out of the corner of his eye, and tried to make a grab for it.  

                He winced in pain, as a thick-soled boot pinned his hand painfully to the ground. Using his new found anger as fuel, he reached back behind him and grabbed his attackers other leg, yanking it hard.  His attacker falling flat on their back, giving him enough time to make a grab for his knife, was the reward if his effort.  As soon as his weapon was in it's proper place, he spun around, ready to greet the attackers intestine with the blade. But they had other plans, and he was knocked once again, but this time into the adjacent wall.  Whoever it was, they had a lot of fight in them.  But Nny wasn't about to give up.  After all, it wasn't over until somebody's blood was splattered against the floor.  (AN: Yay for blood and gore reference!)

                When his attacker was close to him, he thrust his knife forward, rather blindly … but apparently made some type of contact as he heard the attacker grunt in pain. He saw as blood ebbed from a wound on the attackers arm, and took the brief moment to take control of the situation again.  Grabbing them by the front of the shirt, he spun around and pinned them against the wall.

                'What … that the _fuck_ are you doing in _my_ house!"  He spat, holding the knife firmly against the attackers neck.  

                Seconds later, the attackers head whipped up, and he found a very similar knife against his neck. A pair of dark violet eyes looked into his, as purple flecks of hair framed her face.  "_Your_ house! I've been living here for a year!  Don't think that just because you've got a dick means you can come barging in here and take it away from me!"

                Nny was admittedly shocked.  "You're a woman!" 

                "Bloody right I am!  Lemme guess, you thought you could come in here and just take my wittle house away …" She put on a mock-feeble act. "just because I'm just a sad sowwy wittle girl.  Well I got news for you, finder's keepers! I found this house after it was abandoned, so therefore it's _mine_!  And I won't mind fighting you to the death for it!"

                This was far too confusing.  "No, your wrong!  This is _my_ house!  I'm the one who abandoned it in the first place!" 

                "You?" The woman's eyes narrowed.  "You're … Johnny C.?" 

                Nny nodded his head, or at least he attempted to as her knife was still dangerously close to a main artery. 

                "Yes … yes!  Phillip has told me so much about you!" 

                "… Who?"

                "Oh, he's my little stuffed friend … but that's not important.  I have so much I want to ask you!  So much you need to show me!"

                Nny's eye's narrowed.  "You're not another 'fan' type entity, are you?  I should warn you, the last person who strove to be like me met an untimely fate …" 

                The girl laughed.  "Oh no … I strive to be no one but myself, mate.  The name is Tristan.  I had a last name, but I hate it so I no longer use it.  So you may call me Tristan.  _Just_ Tristan.  Any other cute nicknames and I will be forced to disembowel you." 

                "Um … pleased to meet you Tristan.  You seem to already know my name, but you may call my Nny if you wish. Um, since we're almost like best friends and all, would you mind removing your weapon from my artery … and I promise I'll remove mine from yours."

                "Hmmm … on the count of three." Tristan proposed.  "One … two … three." 

                At three, they both stepped away from each other.  Nny took this moment to survey her.  Black muscle shirt or a black fishnet shirt, black jeans, thick black boots … she was rather thin and probably a few inches shorter than he.   He was merely evaluating how much effort it would take to bring her back down, if this was some kind of trick to bring his guard down. 

                "Come." She linked her arm with his, pulling him along the floor.  "You have so much to tell me …" 


	3. Chapter 2

(AN: I know, this chapter sucks.  But the next one is better, I promise!  Johnny doesn't belong to me, the rest do … don't sue me and don't steal my characters, kay?) 

            The little club fell silent when she entered.  And Piper merely pretended not to notice she was the reason they suddenly lost their voices.   When you were a disgrace to your profession, you just had a tiny feeling that it was you who caught everyone's tongues.  

                She quickly surveyed the tiny club, a frequent "hang out" for Guardians, or at least the ones who were closest.  After spotting Terra in a booth at the back of the room, she swept passed the hushed voices and the disappointed glares toward her only friend in the Guardianship.  

                "So, enjoying your little vacation?" Terra asked, a hint of jealousy in her voice.  Her appointed waste-lock was rather busy these days, so Terra was as well.  Watching over someone was an almost twenty four seven job. 

                A small smile pulled at the corners of Piper's mouth. "Vacations over … he's back." 

                Terra shook her head. "I've never seen anyone so … pleased to get back to work like you."

                "Don't you get it Terra?  This is my big chance!  My opportunity to set things straight!" 

                Terra sighed. "Piper, honey, understand that I only tell you this because I'm your best friend and I want to see you as happy as possible.  Just … let it go.  He's ruined.  The Elders completely understand and-"

                Piper scowled. "He's not … ruined.  He's just lost.  But I'm going to set him straight and then things will be back to normal!  Or … at least as normal as things can be."  Terra didn't look convinced, and Piper stood up … tired of her disbelief. "You'll see.  Things are gonna change.  I'll make sure of that!"

                "What … change for the _worse_?" Piper cringed at the sound of Rodie's song-like, "I told you so" tone. "Look everyone … Piper's going to find a way to screw things up more than they already are." 

                Piper's eyes narrowed.  "Things aren't that screwed up …"

                Rodie's face split into an annoying sort of grin as he continued. "Oh they aren't, are they?  Lets see … because you couldn't keep a better control on your waste-lock … there is another out there … running around without a guardian.  I do hope you don't consider that sort of thing normal, Piper.  Sounds pretty screwed up to me."

                Piper's eyes narrowed.  Her mind churned with about a million things she wanted to say to him at that moment … but she narrowed it down to two simple words. "Just wait."  She turned, and as gracefully as she had entered the club, she left it again.  She'd show them, she'd prove to them she wasn't a total screw up.  She'd make things right again, they'd see! 

                They'd eat their words …

                "And what does … this one do?"  Tristan asked of a particularly painful looking machine. 

                "Uh …" Nny replied.  He was still a bit confused by the aspect of anyone but himself being interested in his torture devices.  "Well … it really depends one what you're going for.  You strap the person in here, and if you're going for just blinding pain … you pull the lever a little.  If being ripped apart at the limbs is what you want, then you pull it the whole way." 

                "Impressive …" Tristan awed, petting the gears.  She peeked up at him for just a moment to ask, "Why leave a house with such neat little toys inside?"

                "… I needed a vacation."  He responded, not really wanting to give her any more details. He took this moment, as she was being quite docile and not carrying any weapons, to ask her a few questions of his own. "What about you … how did you end up … here? Your accent … you're not from around here."

                Tristan hummed. "Correct.  I was born in a little town, just outside of London.  From the time I was a baby, until my parents died in a horrible fire.  Then I was shipped off to an orphanage … and no one wanted to adopt a horrendous little brat like me, so I stayed there until I was eighteen.  By the time I was 20, I'd committed the most gruesome things, and I knew the police were on my trail … so I escaped to this country.  Then a year ago … this little place just kind of called to me I suppose." She explained.  

                "And Phillip … who is he?"

                Tristan smiled genuinely. "My only friend.  He can be quite a pain in the arse … but he's all I've got.  My parents thought I was mad, because I'm the only one he talks to."  Her smiled widened. "They sure didn't have much to say about him when I lit the house on fire while they were asleep." She boasted, as if that were her greatest accomplishment. 

                Johnny simply nodded, and Tristan apparently lost interest in the gears. "I'm famished.  Why don't we go to that taco joint … where we can discuss our new found partnership."

                "Our what?"

                "Come on!  Think of the damage we could do as a team!  We could cover the city in the blood of those who mock us." 

                Johnny cringed; he didn't like the sound of that.

                "Like I said … we'll discuss it over tacos.  C'mon … I'm buying." 

                He decided that if free food was part of the deal, it wouldn't hurt to hear what Tristan had to say.  He followed her up the stairs and into the living room, where she stopped in front of the couch and spoke to a small stuffed gray cat sitting against the armrest. "Johnny and I are going out for tacos … I'll be back in an hour or two." She explained, and then turned to Johnny to whisper. "He gets very upset with me if he doesn't know where I've been …" 


	4. Chapter 3

(AN:  Okay, I've been reading JTHM:Director's Cut for the past few days straight so I **think** I'm improving in getting Johnny more into character.  So yay!  And I had a lot of fun writing Piper in this chapter, b/c you get to see her "smart ass" side!  YAY!  Anyway, Johnny doesn't belong to me … Tristan and Piper do … yadda yadda yadda … read!  And thank you to my **one** reviewer, who showed me that **someone** is reading this piece of crap I wrote.) 

            Piper watched, from the cover of an alley, as Johnny sat in Taco Hell, listening rather aptly to another woman's very animate conversation.  Piper squinted, trying to think of where she might have seen her before … but her mind drew a blank.  Besides, the woman wasn't important.  What was important was getting close enough to him to talk to him, and persuade him to let her straighten things out in his life.  This would be a difficult task, as she knew that he was currently fighting off all forms of control … but it was worth a try.  

                Inside the Taco Hell, Johnny was half-listening to what Tristan had to say.  He had to admit, he liked the idea of having some sort of companionship.  But maintaining a companionship of any kind meant having to maintain emotions, and he didn't want to have anything to do with those wretched things.  And Tristan seemed rather unstable, even more so than he ever was … she killed simply because she liked the sight of blood.  She enjoyed the feeling she got from taking away something so precious from someone; something they could never gain back once it was gone.  He used to be like that, he remembered.  He didn't much care for the sight of blood, he hated anything that came from humans … but he couldn't deny at one time he did enjoy killing people. 

                "I was weak and naïve then …" He thought to himself bitterly.  "I was a slave to something other than myself."  He looked out the window, staring at the back alley for a few moments before he noticed … someone was staring back. 

                "Nny?" Tristan's voice interrupted him. "Have you been listening to a bloody word I've said?" 

                "Yes yes, interesting … um … I'll see you back at the house."  He promised, sliding out of the booth.

                Not paying any mind to the stares and the comments he was getting from the other customers, he stealthy stalked out of the building.  

                "Shit!" Piper cursed to herself, sliding back into the shadows the alley had to offer.  She knew he'd be coming this way, and she just wasn't ready to meet with him yet. "What about you oh-so-brilliant plan?" A voice nagged in her head. Screw the plan, she needed to get out of there before he saw her face-to-face. 

                She turned and ran, only getting a foot or two when she bumped into someone rather large and muscular.  "Watch where you're going!" She spat, and was answered by a large hand wrapping around her throat. That was the problem with having an attitude …

… Sometimes it got you into deep trouble. 

                "That certainly isn't a way a lady ought to be speaking …" The man's voice rasped, his dangerous gray eyes were level with her ice-green colored ones. She felt cold steel on her throat. "It's not … polite." 

                "I'm warning you … I've been trained for years and years in many different forms of defense.  If you let me go now, maybe I'll consider not kicking your sorry ass!" 

                She gasped, when she felt cold steel plunged into her right hip. And the warmth of her own blood flowing downward, soaking her jeans and the bottom part of her shirt.  

                "And if you keep quiet, maybe you'll be dead by the time I get finished with you."  He vowed.  No sooner the threat left his lips, she heard him hiss in pain, and more blood was sprayed on her.  Her was plucked from her sight, and she heard the unmistakable sound of flesh being ripped apart in very unnatural ways. (AN: Writing gore is fun!  Try it!  Yay!) 

                She gulped, reminding her lungs that they needed to start sucking air in again.  Her hand traveled down to her wound, and she found out that she was loosing quite a lot of blood.  Next thing she knew, there was another knife at her throat … and a different face, although this one had enough consideration to not stick itself right in front of hers. 

                "Why were you staring at me?" Johnny wasted no time in getting to the point. 

                Piper cracked a smirk, despite the dizzy feeling she was getting in her head. "Heh, you get rid of … one knife wielding maniac … and along comes another." 

                "Answer my question!" He demanded.  Wow, he sounded far away.

                "… 'D love to but … due to … severe blood loss … passing out … now." Piper managed, before blacking out and slumping rather quickly down the wall. 

                "Screaming.  Lots of it.  So many people … in pain.  In misery.  Ouch … why does my spine hurt?"  The room faded into view, slowly.  A little too slowly for Piper's liking.  Her mouth tasted like sand, and her body felt like it had been used as a soccer ball in a tennis match.  She groaned, trying to stretch her arms to make sure they were still there.  "Agh!  I can't feel my arms!" She screamed, and then realized that they were behind her … tied together at the wrists.  She looked up, and saw that she was hanging from a metal bar, being held up by a rope tied under her arms. "Oh … this is not good."  But hey, at least her wound was patched up. 

                She heard footsteps, coming down the stairs.  The unmistakable _clink clink clink _of metal meeting with hardwood, a steady, taunting beat.  

                And then _he _entered the room.  He didn't look at her at first, and she thought maybe he was going to walk right past her without giving her so much as a glance.  With his back turned to her, he greeted in a rather sinister way "… Good morning … sunshine."

                "Aww … mornin' _cupcake_." 

                He turned on his heels, showing that he held to large daggers in his hands.  "My my … don't we have a bit of an attitude problem.  I could adjust that for you." He offered, cocking his head to the side. 

                "First of all … it's not 'a bit' of an attitude problem, it's a full-fledged one.  And second, nah … I'd rather have it left alone thank you." 

                He smiled. "You're funny.  Almost pains me that I have to kill you."

                She looked down at her bandaged hip.  "If you're going to kill me … then why did you bother fixing me up?"

                "You can't answer my questions if you've bled to death." He answered simply, as if she was already supposed to know that. "First question … why were you staring at me in that alley?"

                "Because I wanted to know where you were."

                "And why did you want to know?" 

                "Because it's my job."

                "What's your job?"

                Piper smiled. "To watch you. To keep tabs on you.  It's my job to watch over you … Johnny." 

                His eyes widened. "… How did you know my name?" 

                "It was on your name tag." She said cutely. 

                "Cute … how did you know it."

                "I know lots of things about you, Johnny C.  I know every little thing you've done, every little secret you keep … everything."

                His eyes narrowed. "You lie." 

                Piper scoffed, looking upward as if she were looking for an answer in the ceiling.  "Lets see … what shall we talk about … hmmm … I know, how about that nice man who was going around asking questions for a survey.  He was just doing his job, no matter how silly his questions were … that wasn't nice of you to mutilate him, Johnny."  She smiled at his reaction, which was his eyes widening again. "Or … or how about that other nice man … what was his name … ah!  Edgar.  Edgar Vargas … he was kind to you.   The closest thing you ever got to a friend … and yet you still ripped him to shreds.  Tisk … tisk … tisk.  Then there was Jimmy oh, he _admired_ you but he doesn't count.  He was one sick fuck, and I for one … think he deserved what he got and then some." 

                "Stop." Johnny commanded.

                Just then Piper gasped. "Oh … or … what about … Devi.  Devi, Devi, Devi …" She repeated the name as if it were the last word he'd hear. "Now there … was a nice girl.  You two had so much in common!  You would've made a great couple!  But no … no you couldn't let that happen could you?" 

                His blood boiled.  She was mocking him! In an instant, he was a few inches in front of her … one blade touching her throat while the other hung at his side in case it was needed.  "How do you know these things?" He demanded an answer. 

                "Simple … because it's my job to know everything about you.  Just like it's my job to watch over you.  I'm also supposed to make sure you don't stray from your kinds duties … which we _have_ to talk about because lets face it … you've done some terrible things to people who didn't deserve it." 

                Johnny shook his head in disbelief. "_What_ are you?" Was the only question he could think of. 

                "Johnny C … my name is Piper Mackenzie." She introduced. "I'm your Guardian." 


	5. Chapter 4

                "You're my what?" Johnny asked, rather perplexed. 

                "Your Guardian." Piper stated again.  

                Johnny hummed, as he started to tap the tip of the knife against his chin.  Not enough to draw blood, of course.  "You mean … like an guardian angel?  Well, not to offend …" He took a quick sweeping glance at her.  A tiny silver barbell in her left eyebrow, a dark red colored muscle shirt over a mesh long-sleeved shirt, black jeans that hid her black boots. "But you're not exactly what would strike me as an angel …" 

                Piper rolled her eyes.  "Probably because I'm not an angel.  Just a Guardian." 

                "I see.  And what, pray tell, does a 'guardian' like yourself do …" 

                "We grant wishes …" Piper said sarcastically. "Actually, I was hoping you'd let me down.  I'd have a much easier time explaining things if I weren't hanging in midair." 

                A chuckle escaped his throat. "I'm sorry … but I can't do that.  You see … letting you down means you can run away.  And running away means I can't kill you … which I'm going to do sooner than later if you don't start explaining yourself." 

                "Kill me?  Ha!  I'm afraid you can't do that." She stated matter-of-factly. 

                His smile faded. "And why not?"

                "It's against the rules.  A Waste-Lock isn't allowed to kill their Guardian."

                "Yes well … I've never really been one to follow the rules." He grew tired of her games, and raised a dagger pointing it at the exact point in her chest where her heart was steadily beating beneath it.  All it would take was one swift push and she'd be bleeding to death any moment.  But, to his avail, there seemed to be a technicality. His mind was sending all the right signals to his arm to move the dagger forward, and he was with much effort … but it was as if there was an invisible wall in front of her.  He let the other slip from his grasp, now pushing the dagger with both hands and enough force that _should_ have driven it through the wall by now!  It felt like he was pushing it into a brick wall.  

                "Don't strain yourself." Piper yawned.

                He pulled the knife back, and swiftly brought it forward.  Once again, it stopped just at her chest, not moving any further.  He brought it down again, and again, and again but it was still as if there was something protecting her.  Like a suit of armor!

                "Fuck!" He cursed, throwing his knife aside. 

                "Told ya … it's against the rules." 

                "What … are force fields standard issue with your type?"

                Piper shook her head.  "Nah, you'd be surprised at how simple it is. Now … about that letting me down thing …"

                "There was to be _some_ way to get rid of you!" Nny wasn't one to give up.  He looked around the room, trying to find the most deadly thing he had.  He settled his sights on a long machete leaning next to a table of other weapons, and he laughed to himself as he picked it up.  Taking a few steps back so he could avoid the blood spray, he raised it above his head. "We'll see how your little force field stands up to this!"  With as much force as he could muster, he brought his weapon downward.  But it stopped a few inches from her head, once again as if it were hitting something hard.  The painful vibrations caused him to drop the machete. 

                "Are you quite finished?" As much fun as it was watching him try to kill her, this was getting a bit redundant. 

                "Wait!"  He said. "I have one more idea …" 

                "What is it with you and all the suspendy thingies?"  Piper asked, just as Nny was tightening the straps on her wrists.  If this machine didn't put an end to her, he didn't know what would.  

                "Oh come on … you claim to know all my work … you should know I prefer these types of things." He grinned as he purposely made the one strap too tight. 

                Piper winced, leather cutting into her skin, and looked around at all the pointy things around her.  This was the same machine he'd used on that nice fella she mentioned earlier, and she started to worry a bit.  It was mandatory for Guardians to have some type of protection spell put on them, and it worked well when their subjects tried to stab or shoot them, but she wasn't too sure how it was supposed to protect her from something of this magnitude.  She bit her lip, not really sure if she'd survive this or not.  

                After he had her other wrist strapped against the wall, he checked to make sure she was securely strapped down.  When everything looked okay, he started to walk toward the lever.  All it would take was one simple pull, and his "guardian" would be history.  He took in a deep breath, as her turned to face her.  "I'm sorry is has to be like this, Piper." He set a hand on that fatal lever. "Other than being a complete smart ass … you actually were one of the more pleasant people I've come across." 

                "Heh … gee thanks." 

                "Be thankful that your death will come quickly.  For had you been unfortunate enough to be on my 'bad side', it would have been slow and painful."

                "Boy … do I feel special." Piper said sarcastically, trying to hid the fact that she was terrified at this point.  She was a goner. 

                Nny smirked a bit.  "Farwell, Piper Mackenzie." 

                Piper squeezed her eyes shut, ready to feel her flesh being ripped apart.  

(AN:  I have decided to be mean … and end the chapter here.  Mwhahahahaha!!  Oh, don't worry … I've actually been updating this thing quite rabidly, so you'll probably see whether or not Piper ended up as shishcabob tomorrow.  Oh, and thanks for all the nice reviews!  They made me feel all warm a squishy inside … like a Pop Tart!  The strawberry kind!)


	6. Chapter 5

            (AN: Fist off, sorry for keeping you guys waiting on this chapter.  Second, I apologize immensely because frankly, this chapter is long, boring and stupid.  And it sucks.  I'm just really tired and I really wanted to get it up and … yeah.  I was rushed so if something doesn't quite make sense, just lemme know in the review and I'll fix it.  Anyway, this is the chapter where we find out all about Piper's past and what lead to to become a Guardian.  Also, there's a bit of Italian dialogue going on between her and another character … I don't speak Italian, so I had to use the translator thingy at Altavista.com … so if it doesn't make sense … that's why.  Anyway, onward and I **promise** I will make up for this crappy chapter with a much better one following it.) 

            When Piper opened her eyes, she saw that she was still in one piece.  Her left wrist throbbed at the lack of circulation, but other than that everything seemed to be okay.  She looked down to see Nny struggling with the lever.  It refused to budge. 

                Damnit! He kicked the lever, not really to move it but to release the pent up frustration.  Tristan must have been using it while he was gone and she didn't bother taking care of it.  That was the only explanation.  Actually, Piper being some type of magical entity was the other … but he refused to buy into that one.  

                "Are you thoroughly convinced yet?" Piper grew more and more impatient with this. 

                "The only thing I'm convinced of is that ungrateful wretch doesn't know how to take care of someone else's property!" 

                Piper didn't care to ask who he was talking about, assuming it was the girl he was in Taco Hell with.  "Johnny … face it!  I'm something that you can't explain!  But if you let me down, I promise … I can make everything make sense!" 

                A sigh escaped him.  "Nothing ever makes sense.  It never has and it never will." He looked up at her.  He had to admit, he was curious still as to how she crossed his path.  Although a bigger part of him wanted to find a new method of killing her, he gave into the other part that wanted information.  He made his way back up to where she was suspended, and started to detach the restraints.  "We're going for a walk.  Don't get any ideas of taking off." 

                "A walk?  To where?" Piper rubbed at her sore wrist.

                "I don't really know nor care.  All I know is that you have _a lot _of explaining to do."

                "If I can make a tiny suggestion, I'm starving … there's a nice place I know of.  Can we drive there?" 

                Johnny lowered an eyebrow.  Was she giving him a command?  He decided that didn't matter right now, and he really wasn't in a mood to put up a fight as to where they were going.  All he cared about was getting some type of explanation from her.  "Fine." He agreed. 

                "Great! I'll drive!" 

                "I don't think so."

                "Okay … then you drive and I'll give directions." 

                "Sure … but you might want to change clothes before you go anywhere.  People might become suspicious of a young girl walking into a restaurant with a blood soaked shirt.  I'll give you something, but don't take forever.  I'd like to leave sometime tonight." 

                Piper nodded, and followed him up the winding stairs.  When they reached the upper level, he handed her a pair of black pants and a black and white striped shirt of his, then directed her to the bathroom.  Before shutting the door, he reminded her not to dilly-dally, and left to go wait out in the living room. 

                Once the door was shut, Piper locked it just to be safe.  She'd learned from past mistakes never to leave a door unlocked when you intended to be half-naked.  She pulled her bloodstained clothes off, and pulled the ones Nny had given her on.  She was thankful the pants were cut up at the bottom, otherwise they would have been too long on her and she'd have trodden all over the back of the legs.  She looked in the dirty, stained mirror and lifted up her shirt a bit to check out Nny's bandaging job.  White gauze had been carefully wrapped around her waist, holding a large square patch if it in place over her cut.  Suddenly, she remembered … and she turned her back toward the mirror.  Looking over her shoulder, she wondered if he'd caught sight of the scar on her back.  A large scar, a pair of perfectly drawn wings, was carved into her lower back.  She sighed deeply, memories crawling back into her mind.  Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

                "Are you decent yet?" The door muffled Nny's impatient voice.  

                "Uh yeah," She panicked, quickly turning on the faucet. "I'm just … washing up a bit." 

                He poked his head in the door, seeing her hunched over rubbing her hands under the running water.   She'd forgotten to pull the back of her shirt down, and he saw that strange scar again.  

                "Piper?" 

                "Hmm?"

                "I don't mean to intrude but … what's with that scar on your back?" He asked, stepping closer to the sink.

                'What scar?" She played dumb, pulling the back of the shirt down.  

                Nny's eyebrow rose. "Um … the big, wing-shaped one on your back.  Surely you must have noticed it?  I certainly would if I had something that unusual etched into my skin …" 

                Piper blushed furiously.  Shit, he _had noticed it.  "Well … what more is there to it.  I told someone I'd wanted wings … and they gave them to me."  As an afterthought, she added "… I'd always wanted wings …"_

                These words echoed in Nny's mind.  He'd heard them before, only someone else said them.  The sound was followed by a series of blurry images, all drowning in the sound of rampant screaming.  He shook his head, clearing his mind of everything.  What the hell was that? "C'mon … lets go." He said.  She nodded and turned off the faucet.  

                "… And that is exactly what a Waste Lock Guardian does." Piper had explained the basics to Nny.  "So you see, it wouldn't be like I was telling you what to do.  Just making little … suggestions.  As to who you kill and what not."

                Nny shook his head stubbornly. "I kill who _I want to kill. And that's all there is to it."  _

                "Come on, Nny.  At least give me a chance.  I won't be any trouble!  In fact, I'll stay out of your way completely!  Just … please at least think about it."  She'd asked him if she could stay with him, just to monitor what he was doing and to try and straighten things out. 

                Johnny shook his head.  "Absolutely not.  Do I look like I need a babysitter of some sort?  I can take care of myself, and I don't need some little girl telling me what to do." 

                Piper snorted, offended. "First of all … I am _not a little girl.  And second, it's not a babysitting thing!  It's just … a monitoring thing!" _

                "Call it whatever you want … it still sounds like a control thing to me." 

                Piper crossed her arms across her chest.  He was stubborn, but she wouldn't give up.  She'd convince him … she knew it!  Just then, she saw the restaurant and notified Johnny to park. 

A small bell chimed, as Piper and Johnny entered the restaurant.  Hardly a soul was in it, and the ones who were there had rather scathing looks to provide to the two odd-looking young people who'd just walked in. 

                "Um … Piper.  This place looks pricey …" Johnny informed in a hushed whisper. 

                "Relax … it's all about knowing the right people." She whispered back.  Just then, a short and rather plump man noticed her and smiled as if he was seeing an old high school buddy.  He waved and Piper waved back, just as the man started to come over. 

                "Buona sera, Piper!" The man greeted happily, shaking Piper's free hand. 

                "Buona sera, Mario." 

                The man then looked at Johnny, and gasped as he looked at Piper. "Avete un amico di ragazzo!" 

                Johnny didn't like the way that sounded, and his eyes narrowed to show it.  Damn him for leaving all his knives at home. 

                Piper saw this and nudged him. "Relax … he just mistook you as my boyfriend …" She whispered, and then turned back to Mario. "No, no, no, Mario. Johnny è mio _amico_, non amico di ragazzo."  She corrected. "Amico giusto." She added, when Mario gave her an unconvinced look. 

                "Sicuro. Se dite così, Piper. Venuto, la tabella migliore per voi e vostro... 'amico' ."  Mario started walking, and Piper took hold of Johnny's wrist.  Mario led them past the other tables.  People clad in fancy dresses and suits, giving him the look of a thousand deaths.  They were _lucky _he'd forgotten his weapons; these people thought just because they could afford those pretty clothing and expensive meals that he and Piper were lower than dirt.  He growled at the thought of what was running through their minds.  Then he noticed something odd … they weren't looking at them in disgust or horror, they were looking at them in _envy_.  He then looked forward and noticed they were heading up a spiral staircase, which led to the restaurant's roof.  

                On the roof was a table, only big enough for two, and surrounding it were the most gorgeous plants and flowers that he'd ever seen.  As they approached the table, he noticed that a good bit of the city was visible, and it was a rather beautiful sight.  So that's why everyone was so envious, they probably would have _killed_ to be up here. 

                "La vostra tabella." Mario gestured toward the red and white checkered table, and Johnny waited until Piper was seated to seat himself.  He just wanted to make sure that this was, in fact, _their_ table. "Voi gradiscono una bevanda?" Mario asked when they were seated.  

                Piper looked at Johnny. "He wants to know if you want a drink."

                "No … thank you." He wasn't really hungry, since he'd eaten before he took Piper in.  He saw Mario staring at him, waiting for his answer.  Shit, he didn't know any Italian … he should have paid more attention during Italian in high school.  Wait a minute … did he even _take_ Italian in high school? "Uh …"

                "Niente, grazie." Piper whispered. 

                "Niente … grazie." Johnny repeated. 

                Mario nodded politely, and turned to Piper. "Tè raffreddato." She said. 

            Mario nodded once more, and ducked out of sight.  Johnny stared in his direction for a moment, then set his sight back on Piper. "Where did you learn Italian?  Better yet, why did he give us such a nice table?  How do you plan to pay for this?" 

                "I learned it from Mischa, I got it because Mario's my buddy, and I'm not paying for it because Mario never charges me." 

                Johnny raised an eyebrow.  "How do you know him?"

                "This was the restaurant where Mischa worked, before she was called upon to be a Waste Lock.  She was a skilled chef, went to college for it and everything.  Even after she became a Waste Lock and found me, she cooked in her spare time. It was her hobby." 

                "Who is this … Mischa?" Nny reclined back in his seat, making himself comfortable. 

                Piper sighed. "It's a pretty long story …" She said sadly, when Mario returned with her drink, which Johnny found out was an iced tea.  After a few more exchanged phrases in Italian, Mario went back to the kitchens to place her order.  After taking a big gulp of her drink, Piper started her story. "I guess I should start from the beginning, with my real mother.  She was … different from other kids in high school.  Kids called her names all the time, made her feel like an outcast.  So when she found one guy who was just like her … she fell deep in love." She took a deep breath and continued. 

                "She was only fourteen when she became pregnant with me.  I don't know much about my father, only that he committed suicide shortly after I was conceived.  

                "So there she was, left all alone to raise me.  Her father was disgusted at his daughter for having a child at such a young age, so he kicked her out.  We were forced to live in a shitty apartment, while she worked shitty under-the-table jobs to support us.  The only people who would hire her for being so young, and for having no one to watch me, were usually mean, greasy guys who paid her very little and kicked her around a lot. And her place of employment was usually a bar or some type of club.  She'd been offered jobs at strip clubs, but she rejected.  Even she had more dignity than that.  Anyway, I remember being little, and playing with my dollies in a corner, while old drunk men - who reeked of booze and vomit- fought, played pool, or harassed my mom and the other waitresses." The bitterness dripped from her voice. 

                "She'd kicked numerous drunken asses for coming too close, or talking to me the wrong way.  It got her fired a lot, and I always felt guilty because she was only trying to protect me.  But then she'd wipe the tears from my eyes and explain that I was all she had in the world, and she wasn't going to let anything happen to me.  Despite everything, we were one big happy family. 

                "Then one day, when I was four, as she was walking out of a bar … a group of guys surrounded her. There were four of them, and the circled around her like hyenas … they sure as hell were laughing like a bunch of hyenas. A bunch of fucking hyenas just lickin' their chomps, ready for the kill.  She told me to get out of there, and I started to run … but I stopped when I noticed they were hurting her.   They had her down on the ground and they just …" She paused, and he could tell she was suppressing a sob. "They just wouldn't stop kicking her.  I yelled for them to, blood was gushing everywhere … but the more and more I cried the harder and harder they kicked.  They just kept kicking until she was limp … that's when they set their sight on me.

                "'We can't be having any witnesses …' the leader said, blood all over his shoes. I backed into a metal gate, terrified and knowing that my life was over at that moment.  I looked over at my mother's dead body and for a split second I imagined myself that way.  Dead and limp.  My eyes clamped shut and I could feel his hands around my neck when suddenly, he howled in pain and I felt a warm liquid splashing me in the face.  I didn't know that what I'd felt was his blood … at the time I thought it was my own.  My eyes stayed shut, and all I could hear was screaming and wails of agony and then … I heard nothing.  That was it … I knew I was dead.  I opened my eyes, expecting to see angels or something, but instead I saw the alley … and now there were _five_ dead bodies lying in it.  And a tall young woman standing amongst it, a sword-like knife held firmly in her hand.  She slowly turned toward me, her eyes were cold and unfeeling … that's when I shut my eyes again.  At least she'd bought me a few last moments on Earth.  I felt her hand graze my cheek, wiping the blood from my face. 

                "'Aw,' she soothed. 'You poor little thing, you're a mess!' 

                "'You're going to kill me, aren't you.  Just like they killed my mommy.'

                "She tilted her head and smiled. 'No, I only hurt bad people.  You're not a bad person, are you?' I shook my head. 'I didn't think so.  You look like a sweet little girl.  Do you have a name?'  I told her my name was Piper. 'Piper, huh? Well, that's a very pretty name.  My name, is Mischa … and you're more than welcome to stay with me.'"

                "And you went with her?" Johnny looked at her like _she_ was the crazy one. "She'd mutilated four guys and you left with her?" 

                Piper shrugged. "I guess I trusted her.  Keep mind that she did save my life, and she didn't kill me afterward." Mario, thankfully, didn't walk in during this part.  He kept the same, boisterous smile as he lowered a steaming plate of pasta in front of her.  She thanked him, in Italian, and when he asked Johnny if he wanted anything (at least, that's what Nny _thought_ he was asking), Nny shook his head and Mario bowed his head politely before ducking out again.  

                For the next half an hour, Nny sat and watched Piper enjoy her meal.  His mind drifted back to what she'd said earlier, while he was bandaging her up, and he tried to place where the memory was coming from.  He'd heard it before, but he couldn't remember who had said it or when.  All he remembered was fleeting images of a girl, her face was blurry, and a house.  You know, your average mom, dad, wholesome daughter, white picket fence and a dog named Clover type of house.  Then the images were followed by screaming and blood and then darkness.  Funny, he didn't have these images until he met Piper, and this intrigued him.  Yes, she was quite full of intrigue, and even if he could kill her … he didn't think he would. 

                She finished her meal, and they left after she bid farewell to Mario. She was right, she wasn't charged for the meal.  They walked back to his car, and she expected him to drive her back to his house … but he took a slight detour. 

                "Where are we going?" She asked, when he turned off onto the wrong street. 

                "Somewhere quiet, where you can finish your story.  Tristan should be home by now, and if she's anything like I think she is, she'll have some new victims in the basement making a lot of noise.  It's hard to talk when you've got all that noise hammering you." 

                He was expecting Piper to ask who Tristan was, but when she didn't, he decided not to offer any information.  He drove until they were way out of the city limits, heading toward the more rural section of the area.  He finally parked in the parking lot of a very large park.  He would have taken her to the cliff, but since it wasn't a school night, there would be teenagers up there doing the most vile and repugnant things to each other.  He got out of the car, and for a moment they just walked in silence until they reached some swings.  He sat on the ground, while she sat on one of the swings.  "Okay … so you went off to live with this Mischa …" He reminded her of her place in the story. 

                Piper hummed thankfully.  She really had forgotten where she left off. "Yes, I went to live with her.  At first, I thought she was only going to keep me around until she grew tired of having a daughter … but she never tired of me.  When she wasn't off killing, she was at home … doing motherly things.  She cooked, cleaned, and home schooled me; we were like a normal family. One of the first things she did when she brought me home was introduce me to her friend Sasha … her Guardian."

                "But I thought you said waste locks weren't supposed to know of their guardians?" Nny questioned. 

                "Yes, but you see … Mischa sorta found out about Sasha on an accident.  She tried to kill her and well, like you, she became rather perplexed when she saw that couldn't be done.  So the Elders forgave this and so long as she didn't interfere with what Mischa was supposed to do, they were okay with it.  When I got older, about twelve or thirteen, Sasha explained everything to me about Guardians and Waste Locks.  She told me everything there was to know about the Guardianship and what they did.  I was _fascinated_ with the idea, and when I was fourteen, I made a very important announcement. 

                "We were eating dinner, Mischa was late as usual … something about getting into a minor brawl with someone she tried to kill.  Sasha was there, too … and I decided it was a perfect time to make my announcement.  'I want to join The Guardianship.' I blurted out, half expecting them to have objections.   They didn't.  In fact, they were _thrilled_ by my decision!  Mischa looked so happy and proud of me … and I'd never felt more proud of myself than in that moment.  All my life, I'd toiled over how I was going to repay Mischa for everything she'd done for me, and now I had my answer.  I would watch over someone like her, just like she'd watched over me all those years.  The next day was my fourteenth birthday … the day I went to sign up.  With Sasha at my side, they had no objections to me signing up so early.  Guardians must be eighteen to start guardianship, and sixteen to seventeen to start training … but they trusted Sasha.  She was one of their most trustworthy Guardians, and they trusted her judgment and faith in me.  After I signed up and accepted, I was told I'd start my training in a few months.  It takes at least a few years to train to be a Guardian, and it's a long grueling process.  When I started, most of my 'class' was already finishing up their training.  One in particular, Rodie, especially liked riding my case; telling me at least once a day that I'd be a failure.  I only had one friend, but I'm starting to question if she ever was a friend in the first place." Piper's teeth clenched, but now was not the time to get into it. 

                "It was while I was training, when I received the news that Mischa had fallen ill.  For the first time in years, she'd gone to a doctor about some pains she was having and they told her she had a brain tumor.  She was given three years to live.  Perfect timing, The Elders had thought, seeing as how I'd be finishing my training in another two years and I'd be of legal guardianship age a year after that … I'd be able to Guard her replacement.  I however, was devastated by this news.  In fact, I'd spent up until the day I was assigned deluding myself into thinking that it was all some sick joke, and that she wasn't dying at all.  But when they put that thick brown envelope in my hands … I had no choice but to accept it.  Mischa was dying … and I would be guarding her replacement.

                "The day I was assigned, was the same day Rodie was.  He sneered, and Terra told me he was just jealous that I was being assigned three years before I was supposed to be.  We were each called into a room – me, Rodie, and another Guardian – one by one to receive our assignments.  I was given my envelope, and I just remember being so … nervous and scared.  In my hands, I held proof that Mischa was really slipping away.  I didn't even open it.  In fact … it wasn't until a few days later that I got the courage to open it.  Mischa and Sasha watched over my shoulder as I pulled out all the vitals on her replacement." She looked over at Johnny, who was listening aptly … as if he didn't know who she was going say.  "You." 

                "So that was it?  You were stuck with me?" 

                "Well, I don't like to call it 'stuck', Johnny.  I was happy to be assigned to you.  No matter whose file I pulled out of that envelope, I would have been happy to watch over them." 

                "What happened to Mischa?" Nny asked, after a brief silence.  

                Piper inhaled deeply, and he could almost hear her pain. "She died … two months after I was assigned. Sasha said she'd gone in her sleep … I was in training at the time.  I … I didn't even get to say good-bye."  She added sadly.  

                Nny looked at the ground.  As horrible as it sounded, he _didn't_ want to feel sorry for her.   He didn't want to feel anything, and that was what his "vacation" was for … to rid himself of emotion.  But hearing Piper's story, he felt some type of sympathetic emotion crawling upward inside him.  He clenched his teeth and dug his nails into the ground.  No … he was _not_ going to do this.  

                "Nny, are you okay?" She asked, seeing his sudden discomfort. 

                "Yes.  I'm fine.  But … I think we'd better go back."

                She smiled hopefully. "So … you're going to take me up on my offer?" 

                He sighed … he was really going to hate himself sooner or later.  "I'll give it … a week." He said disdainfully, but quickly added. "However, don't think this means you can boss me around!  You're not my conscience, and I _don't_ have to take your little … suggestions if I don't want to! I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't allow anything else to rule me … not even you."   

                Piper absolutely beamed.  It was a start.  "All I ask, Nny … is that you listen to me.  It's completely up to you as to what suggestions you want to take." She felt so happy, she was getting her chance she'd always wanted!  She was about to hug him, but he backed away quickly as if she were riddled with some type of disease.  She sheepishly sunk back onto the swing, muttering an apology.  "So … shall we head back home?"

                "… Yeah." He replied, standing up.  As he walked toward the car, he thought of what mess he was getting himself into.  Letting not one … but _two_ females -one his Guardian and the other probably just as crazy as he was- share his roof?  What was he turning into … a den mother?  He sighed once again, and slipped into the driver's side of the car, shutting the door a little harder than necessary.  Piper slid into the passenger side, still hearing a happy grin on her face.  "Hey Nny?" She said, buckling her seat belt. 

                "Yes?"

                She bit her bottom lip. "Thanks." 

                He groaned disgustedly.  There were those damn emotions again.  "Yeah yeah yeah …" He muttered, pulling out of the parking space at thirty miles an hour.  


	7. Chapter 6

                "Lucy … I'm home!" Tristan called.  Silence was her only response.  "Nny … are you home yet?" More silence.  

                "He's not here …" The stuffed cat on the couch said. 

                "Oh … he must not have come back from Taco Hell yet, …" Tristan thought aloud.

                The cat snickered. "Oh … he came back alright.  Had an unconscious girl with him.  Went down to the basement for awhile … came back with girl fully conscious and left …" 

                Tristan growled.  "You mean he let her go?"

                "Not only that … left _with _her.  Said something about she had some explaining to do." The cat paused for a moment, as if I thought had occurred to it. "… I told you he was a threat.  Why didn't you destroy him when you had the chance?"

                Her arms crossed over her chest, as she paced the floor. "I tried.  He's good … real good."

                "So?  You are better, Tristan! You've been at your trade since you were young!  I should know … I've been with you the whole time."

                "Yes, but Phillip … you haven't seen the way he works.  He's a fighter, and he doesn't give up.  He'd be difficult to destroy if not damn near impossible." 

                The cat laughed a high, cold laugh.  "How weak you are, Tristan.  Letting someone else push you around …"

                Tristan stopped dead in her tracks.  "Not now Phillip … please not now."

                "It's true …"

                Tristan growled, and snatched the small stuffed cat from the couch. "You listen to _me_, Phillip!" She screamed at it. "I am sick of you and your incessant bothersome meandering! I bow down to no one but myself!" 

                The cat laughed again. "Keep telling yourself that, Tristan.  Maybe someday … it'll become the truth to you."

                She grew very tired of Phillips noise.  She hurled him across the room, and he grunted when he met the opposite wall with a soft thud. Panting, she plopped herself down on the couch.  She'd killed twice that night, and both had put up a good fight … so she was tired and didn't care to hear anyone's bitching.  Not even Phillip's.  She combed her fingers through her hair; bits of it clumped together with blood, and took a deep breath.  She needed to calm down. Phillip was only critical because he cared about her, right? Still, she hated it when he nagged … which seemed to occur at least twice a day.  Ever since she was little, it was nag, nag, nag, nag, nag. _That's right Tristan, hold the match against the curtains … they're sleeping they won't feel a thing.  What's that?  You don't want Mommy and Daddy to go away?  You're weak if you think that you need them!  You need no one but me, friend.  Go on … light them!  Watch the house burn into beautiful oblivion!  Oh, why are you crying you pathetic little twit, it doesn't hurt them!  _

                Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.  Her head turned toward the door, waiting for it to open.  When it did, her eyes narrowed when she saw a girl stepping through, Nny close behind her.  

                For the longest time, not a word was uttered.  Tristan glared at the girl, obviously still very alive.  Piper didn't seem too thrilled to see Tristan, either.  Because she knew what she was, the product of Piper's big screw up. 

                She was a Guardian-less Waste Lock.  A dangerous rarity.  Without a Guardian to guide her, she was even more a threat than Nny was with his inexperienced one.  No Guardian meant she was running around, like a stray dog, killing _everyone_ who crossed her path, and that was dangerous.  At least Piper had managed to keep Nny under minimal control, but Tristan was a different story.  And unlike Nny, Tristan could easily kill Piper if she wanted to.  Piper knew she'd have to be on guard twenty-four seven while she was here. 

                Tristan smirked, standing up from the couch and approaching like a cat ready to attack an innocent bird.  "Johnny, aren't you going to introduce your friend?" 

                Nny looked over at Piper, then back to Tristan.  "This is Piper.  She's staying here for a week." 

                "Really? I had no idea we still had vacancies." She stopped a few inches from Piper, giving her a deadly glare of doom. "Hmm, there's probably some room in the basement for her …  granted I get around to cleaning out the cadaver closet …" 

                "I'm warning you, Tristan …" Nny growled. "While Piper is under this roof, if you come at with so much as a butter knife … you _will_ answer to me. She is a guest.  An alive one, and I want it kept that way, understood?" 

                How dare he, tell her whom she can and can't kill.  No matter, she smiled as sweetly as possible (even still it looked more sinister than sweet), and nodded. "Crystal clear." 

                Three AM.  One homicidal maniac was out stalking the streets, and the other out to fulfill his Brainfreezy craving.  That left Piper all alone in the scary house, sitting on the couch and flipping through the minimal channels.  Cable must not have been a necessity when you got your kicks from disembowling people. 

                Giving up on the lack of entertainment the TV had to offer, Piper decided to take a look around.  She'd probably get a better insight on what made Nny "tick" if she had a good look at his surroundings.  The first place she stopped was the kitchen, where after rummaging through a few cabinets and the refrigerator, she found there wasn't very much on food in this house.  If she got too bored, she'd wander down to the 24-7 and pick up a few things.  They could survive without food, but she'd spent too many years with Mischa's ample supply of homemade food, and she couldn't stand to go too long without eating. (AN: No, she's not a pig … she was just raised to be a "meat and potatoes" kinda girl, that's all.) 

                She moved on to another spare room.  It didn't look like a bedroom, and it didn't look like it really served any type of purpose.  It was just … a room.  There she found crates stacked almost to the ceiling, a few boxes here and there, and the occasional sharp pointy hurty thing.  The only piece of furniture in the room was a desk, with piles of papers stacked on top of it and a book.  Johnny's Die-ary. 

                She grazed her fingertips over the dilapidated cover, arguing with herself whether or not to open it.  Sure, it was invasion of his privacy, but she needed to get inside his head to understand better how to sort things out.  Besides, it wasn't like there was anything in there she probably didn't already know about him.  She agreed with the latter thought, and began to open the book. 

                "It's not very nice to go through other people's belongings." She snapped the book shut and turned around.  Her eyes scanned the room, but other than herself the room was empty. 

                "H-hello?  Who said that?"  She asked timidly.  

                "Over here." The voice said.  It sounded like it was coming from the table, and she turned her head to look.  Nothing but a stack of papers sat on the desk.  "Good, now look down." Her eyes lowered to the floor, and she sighed at the sight of the Bub's Burger Boy.  

                "I'm just … researching." Piper explained, turning back to the book. 

                Reverend Meat scoffed. "Invading his privacy is more like it."

                "I'm his Guardian … it's not like there's stuff in here I don't know about." She defended.  

                "Do you know of the inner workings of his mind?  Weren't those things that were always supposed to be left alone?"  

                "Drastic times call for drastic measures."  She proceeded to open the book.  She glanced at a few of his earlier entries, the ones he'd made when … the thing … controlled him.  Paragraph after paragraph of a spoiled mind trying to explain to itself why it's host did the horrible things he did.  "Wow … I had no idea it was this bad …" 

                "What you're seeing is only a fraction of the horrors committed under this roof." 

                Piper shook her head, coming closer and closer to the more recent entries.  It was then she heard the front door being unlocked.  She gasped, and tossed the book back onto the desk and bolted from the room.  She ran over to the couch, hopping over the back and landing in a sitting position on the seat.  A fraction of a second before the door was opened, she assuming a lounge-like position and pretended that she'd just been casually flipping through channels.  She glanced up to see Nny walking in, holding a Brainfreezy cup in one hand and a bloody knife in the other.  

                "Welcome back." She greeted, moving her feet so he could sit at the other end of the couch. 

                Nny hummed in response, seating himself on the couch.  Piper looked from the bloody knife to his Brainfreezy cup.  It didn't take a genius to figure it out. "Let me guess, one less valued employee at the 24/7?" 

                Johnny shook his head. "One less crony hanging out front. He was harassing people … I think he was more than deserving of a slow painful death." 

                At least it wasn't some poor, innocent mini-mart clerk. "I'm impressed." 

                "Why should you be?" Nny raised an eyebrow. 

                Piper smirked and looked at him.  "It's an improvement."

                "On what?"

                "Your clarity on your mission." 

                "I didn't kill him to please you or your … establishment."

                She sighed.  Why was he so difficult? "An improvement non-the-less."

                "Look, I already told you … I'm not a slave to you or those … slave-drivers you report to.  I kill because _I_ want to, not because you tell me to."

                Piper's eyes narrowed.  "The Guardianship isn't slave-driving, and we are the ones keeping your kind in line so I suggest you refrain from speaking ill of us." 

                "My kind?  What, do you think that you're higher up or something?  If keeping the population of assholes at a controlled level is so important, why aren't _you_ the ones doing the hard work?  We, if you must put me into some kind of category, are the ones who do all the dirty work.  All you do is sit back and watch the blood flow." 

                Piper gritted her teeth.  She tried hard to bite her tongue, but she hated it when people insulted The Guardianship.  As much as she loathed them sometimes, they were everything she stood for and an insult to them was an insult to her.  And she _hated_ being insulted almost as much as Nny did, although she had a different way of dealing with insults. 

                "Oh, you think it's _that easy?  That we just sit back and watch and that's it?  Well let me tell you something, _waste lock_." Her face was starting to redden. "Have you ever put any thought into why it is you never get caught? Huh?  Because of _me_.  And do you think it's easy, manipulating the police so that they are clueless as to what you do?   That's a pretty damn difficult thing to do, y'know!  It takes years of training and practice, and even then it isn't as simple as you think! And then there I was, a little fifteen year old girl who'd just lost the closest thing she ever had to a mother, having to do all this for someone like _you_." She spat. _

                His eyes narrowed into a deadly glare. "Well if you didn't want to deal with me, then why didn't you just pawn me off on someone else.  If I was _that_ troublesome to you."

                "Because I couldn't.  And I didn't want to! I … I thought I could handle it." She lamented. "Look, Nny … I'm sorry … I didn't mean it that way."

                "Hmm, funny.  That's exactly how it sounded to me." He hissed, getting up off the couch.  

                "Where are you going?" She called after him.

                "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm going for a walk." And with that, he slipped out the door; slamming it behind him.

                Piper huffed, with her arms crossed and sank into the couch.  "Why to go, Piper." She scolded herself. 

                (AN:  I hope this chapter was a little better than the last.  It was definitely a lot shorter.  Anyway, I may not be updating for awhile, a week at the most, because you know … Christmas and what not.  Well, later folks!  And don't forget … review!  I'll give you nachos! P.S. – "Ever hear "Trigger Happy Jack" by Poe?  If so, please tell me I am not the only one who is reminded of Nny when I hear it.)

                


	8. Chapter 7

            Muttering under his breath, Nny walked down the street, unsure of exactly what his destination was.  He had to get away from her, the one who made him feel.  Her statement had struck a cord in him … almost like a hurt.  He was hurt by the fact that she was treating him like some sort of _chore_.  

                Calming down, he noticed that the feeling was ebbing away rather quickly. Eyes closed, he took in a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair and the feeling was gone completely.  When he opened his eyes, he looked forward and saw a tall figure approaching him.  It was Tristan.

                "Hmm, not wearing your usual coat of blood." His eyebrow rose at that realization. 

                 "Oh, Nny … is that all you think I do?"  Tristan laughed. "What's wrong with you? Your girlfriend kick you out of the house."

                Johnny gritted his teeth.  Like he would have any such thing to do with a female, especially one as irritating as Piper. "Can't I just take a nice leisurely walk without you jumping to such … repulsive conclusions?"

                "No, what makes me jump to such 'conclusions' is the fact that the little twit is still alive.  What are we running, Nny, some type of … an adoption agency?  Bringing home cute little things and giving them a home?  She should be on the street or dead, although I personally prefer the latter.  Why is that girl in our home?"

                "First of all, it is _my_ home, and second why should I have to explain to you.  If I feel like keeping someone in my home, it should be _my _choice.  How easily you forget that I've allowed you to stay without cutting out _your _heart." 

                A smirk crept onto Tristan's face.  "Like you could … and besides I'm different.  We're a kindred spirit, you and I.  She looks like she should be in church, making nice and cookies and what not.  Somehow I have trouble trying to figure out where in this picture she fits." 

                He really didn't feel like explaining it to her.  He wasn't even entirely sure if Tristan would understand, or believe him.  So he just sighed, and said, "Look, the girl stays and that's that.  And seeing as how I was so kind to allow _you_ to stay … I would ask that you show some courtesy and leave her alone.  I'd like to keep her around, as irritating as she is, and I would ask that you not question it."

                Tristan's eyes narrowed as she suppressed a dangerous growl.  There he was with that telling her what to do thing. She was about to say something when she looked up and noticed Piper approaching the two of them.  "Speak of the bloody devil …" 

                Nny turned to see Piper approaching, and he cursed under his breath.  The whole point of leaving the house was to _get away_ from her.  

                "Girl Scout meeting over?"  Tristan asked. 

                Piper scowled, but paid no mind to her.  Instead she turned to Johnny. "Why did you leave so suddenly?"

                "I was under the impression that I was a bother to you, so I eliminated myself for you.  You may return to your smiley time, free from my presence." 

                "Nny, your not a bother to me … it's just- …" She noticed Tristan still standing there, listening to their conversation rather aptly. "Do you mind?" 

                Piper felt the wrath of Tristan's deadly glare of doom.  (AN:  Doom is such a neat word!  Doom doom doom doom DOOM!) "Oh, do pardon me for my lack of manners." She apologized falsely.  "I'll leave you two alone … there are a few people in the basement who deserve a slow painful death … and a few outside of it as well." She directed that last part right at Piper, and she purposely shouldered her as she walked past her. 

                "How funny … that you assume that I want to converse with you. I left for a reason, you know." Nny stated as soon as Tristan was out of earshot. 

                "Well right now, I don't care what you want.  I can't let you walk away from me like that.  I'm sorry if what I said upset you, but I was-"

                "And how quickly you assume that I am … hurt by what you've said."  He lied.  Deep down he knew very well that her words had undoubtedly left a sting. "After all, I am merely a cold, unfeeling thing.  Your words or actions have no affect on me." 

                Piper nodded. "Okay, Nny … you wanna believe that you go right ahead.  You're a human being … you were born a feeling creature. There is no unlearning of your nature … "

                "Hmm, where have I heard that before?" No really, it was weird how he'd heard those words before.  Only the last time he heard them they were coming from a talking inanimate object. 

                Piper inhaled a deep breath of air.  "Come on.  There's something I want to show you."  She started down the sidewalk again, pulling on his wrist.

                "Where are we going?" He asked, yanking his arm free from her grip.  What was he, some kind of puppy on a leash? 

                "You'll see." Was all the information Piper would offer. 

                (AN: Oooo, I wonder where they are going!  I just wanted to take a moment to say I'm actually really surprised that this story is getting such good feedback!  I really didn't think that it would go over this well, but I'm glad to see that everyone has such nice things to say about it.  Whee!  I'm a happy Korie now.)  


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